Chapter 24

The club atmosphere had become very heavy as if each player had a lot to think about, but he continued to drill them in practise as hard as he had been doing. The players were responding well and pushed themselves to the brink each day, he made sure the coaches complimented them often as he needed to maintain a not impressed attitude. The upcoming matches were going to be difficult for the club and likely not that different to how the previous match was. The next match was against recently relegated Norwich City who had been woeful last season but were eager to return right back. The odds makers also had them as favourites for the title so they would be stiff competition. The club had been dealing with multiple departures on account of the relegation which had seen their star striker Teemu Pukki move on to greener pastures. Max Aarons, the talented young full back and their record signing Milot Rashica had also been part of the exodus. The benefit of all the departures was the opportunity to place more focus on some of the talented youth that were at the club.

Adam Idah had already gotten off the mark up top and was looking dangerous. His fellow Irish national Andrew Omobamidele was also looking an absolute rock in defence and a danger from set pieces. The match had been a difficult one and the players had fought hard but were unable to break down the former Premier League team. The difference in quality was just too apparent and the belief around the team was also shot to pieces from the frankness with which the manager had spoken. The set pieces in particular had been a big weakness of theirs, the Canaries threw bodies onto the ball with more belief than their opponents and were rewarded by a goal for their troubles. The veteran midfield duo of Mclean and Lees-Melou dominated the middle of the pitch as well refusing to give up ground to anyone. The experience the club had in the Premier League was really showing through, as they were used to playing far harder opposition on a weekly basis. The final score line was 3-1 in favour of The Canaries. The goal scorer on the side of The Blues had been Marcelino who had popped up on the edge of the eighteen-yard box to drill a shot low on target. The shot had then been deflected by a Norwich defender to wrong foot the keeper. It wasn't a goal to celebrate about and it didn't contribute to the final result. The team felt rocked but rather than pick them up, the manager simply reiterated the need for them to step up and elevate their game. The players had felt it most distinctly during the match, that they weren't able to compete with a team of this level.

The next match was against Middlesbrough FC, who had just missed out on a place in the play offs the previous season. This would be another difficult challenge to add to the tough start faced by his fledgling team. The manager of The Boro was the recognisable figure of Chris Wilder, former manager of Sheffield United and the man who had come up with the innovative overlapping centre back strategy. His new club was equally as well drilled and put extra emphasis on wing back play. The wing backs provided a lot of the attacking impetus, Isiah Jones had been a revelation last season getting a handful of assists and being a real problem. The game was much closer than the previous one had been, but the result was still the same. It felt like regardless of what the squad tried; they were not able to enforce themselves on the game. Valentin had attempted to get forward with the ball on multiple occasions but had been utterly suppressed by Jones. The former winger turned wingback was able to expose the space behind him and drive into danger areas all game long. This let him swing low balls across the front of goal for his forwards to lap up. They managed to score two goals before his team was able to get a handle of the fullback. Lino was forced to give up any attacking input and stick on the full back for the rest of the day. The other side was also forced to dig deep as Neil Taylor was no slouch himself and took any opportunity to go forward. The rest of the game passed as a slog with The Boro keeping possession and content to grind out the time. The final score line was two nil and it felt like The Blues hadn't even had an opportunity to attack. His assistant and coaching staff were not too happy with him and wanted the foolish experiment to be over, he could tell from their disapproving eyes, but he refused to give up on it. He knew that seasons were dictated by pivotal moments and his team was just missing that, if he indulged them now it might never come again and they would languish in the bottom half like usual. The same as the previous game, he simply reiterated the importance of levelling up and that light exists on the other side of a mountain, and it can only be seen by one who climbs it.

The media had been brutal and questioned everything about his team. They suggested they were too young, that he was too young, it was foolish to sell so many proven players and trusting it youth so much was naive. The fans were also frustrated having been given small hope by all the new signings and now to see their team disappoint like usual. It was the fans that hurt the most as it was them, he really wanted to make happy. He did what he had too though, taking all the blame onto himself and saying he was trying out some stuff in training. He said the players have been working hard and he was sure a turning point would come soon. The camera flashes were intense as he left the press conference but not as intense as the boos and jeers of the fans when they went to board the team bus. He could tell that the players were disappointed so told them that it was up to them to give the fans something to cheer about. He could tell the players took it on board and the growing determination in the squad was heartening to see. It was like a little spark which he diligently blew upon and now it was becoming a roaring flame. The day where his side exploded onto the scene was coming and he couldn't wait for it.

Trivia:

Norwich City are referred to as the Canaries due to their former club chairman being a keen breeder of the animal. The nickname was given by him and then they took on the iconic yellow and green uniform to match it.